The Canucks are back in action this evening against the New Jersey Devils. It's an early one, so hopefully, your boss lets you leave in time to catch the opening puck drop. Vancouver is coming off an emotional victory against the Leafs and will look to continue their success in the swamp.

Willie Desjardins' boys lost both matchups versus the Devils last season but 2016 is a new campaign. This Canucks team is different. I'm hoping you'll be able to come up with a reason why they're better.

The Canucks, as an organization, value familiarity. Vancouver's General Manager and Assistant Manager played a role in drafting and developing within the Bruins organization when they selected Spooner in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and kept tabs on him for a few years thereafter.

That's probably where the conversation starts, but far from where it end. If the Canucks are interested in landing Spooner, it can make sense for a number of hockey reasons. Let's dig in.

This post covers the Comets games from November 21st to 27th. The games from last week are not included and will be covered in the next article, which should be coming soon.

Travis Green has long been touted as the coach in waiting in the Vancouver Canucks organization. When the NHL club was in the midst of a nine game losing streak, and Willie Desjardins was firmly planted on the hot seat, many wondered if Green's chance was coming soon - that is, until they looked at the AHL standings and realized that Utica had one of the worst records in the American League.

However, in the last couple of weeks, things have turned around. The Comets strung together a four game win streak that just happened to come when their roster was at its most precarious position all season, with a myriad of injuries and call ups that essentially meant that a full top six forward and top four defence was unavailable to them. And then, must like he did last season, Green took a rag tag group of AHL contracts and PTO's and extracted some of the best hockey the Comets have played all season.

You know what, I just can't even. I was all set to take down yet another boo-hoo-everybody-hates-Vancouver diatribe apart but why bother.

Patrick O'Sullivan is just another loud mouth from Toronto trying to replicate Don Cherry's shtick and turn it into a career in media.

Except where Cherry has build his persona from deeply held, and very wrong, convictions of how the game is meant to be played, guys like O'Sullivan and Milbury and Denis Potvin are just playing it up for the crowd.

The Canucks' long-term injury list just expanded, as the team announced Derek Dorsett will undergo surgery to repair a disc degeneration in his neck. Given the seriousness of this case, as well as the lack of precedent in the NHL, there is no timeline on Dorsett's return.